White is, I think, a talented player, but I can’t say that with much certainty, because he’s never played in the NBA. His anxiety issues, which include a fear of flying, complicated his relationship with Houston as a rookie last year, and they’re not going away in Philadelphia.Randy Peterson of USA Today:

Royce White is ready to play in the NBA, probably for the Philadelphia 76ers, once the trade from Houston becomes official.But making 100 plane flights during a season?”Hell no,” the former Iowa State basketball star said after playing for the Walnut Creek YMCA Wednesday night in the YMCA Capital City League at Valley Southwoods Freshman High School.”One hundred flights would be like if you’re allergic to peanut butter – it’d be like spreading your whole body with it.”

I wish White the best, both personally and professionally. He’s clearly struggling to balance both aspects of his life.Unfortunately, his NBA career is passing him by. White’s team can do its best to accommodate him, but on a fundamental level, NBA players must fly to get to games. If White can’t do that, there’s not a spot for him in the league.I’d love to see the big forward with point-guard skills in action, but there are still so many hurdles to clear. Frankly, I’m a little surprised a team took him off Houston’s hands – unless the 76ers accepted White’s salary to get the rights to Furkan Aldemir.I wouldn’t close the book on White’s NBA career, but this statement shows how far there is to even getting it started.

I wish him the best too because White has some talent. I’ve known a few guys who have a phobia of flying, that it causes them great distress or anxiety, sometimes to the verge of panic attacks. John Madden, color commentator for NFL telecasts, has been one of the more famous individuals who suffer the fear of flying. But being a NBA player with this phobia and trying to compete with the type of schedule the NBA maintains would be a great challenge, not only to the individual himself but to the patience of his teammates, coaching staff, team management and ownership. If the Sixers and White were to take on that challenge, White had better be in tip top shape as travelling by either road or rail, day in/day out, would be both exhausting and nerve racking. And you could probably count out the back-to-back games as well. Lots of ruck dude.

I wish him the best too because White has some talent. I’ve known a few guys who have a phobia of flying, that it causes them great distress or anxiety, sometimes to the verge of panic attacks. John Madden, color commentator for NFL telecasts, has been one of the more famous individuals who suffer the fear of flying. But being a NBA player with this phobia and trying to compete with the type of schedule the NBA maintains would be a great challenge, not only to the individual himself but to the patience of his teammates, coaching staff, team management and ownership. If the Sixers and White were to take on that challenge, White had better be in tip top shape as travelling by either road or rail, day in/day out, would be both exhausting and nerve racking. And you could probably count out the back-to-back games as well. Lots of ruck dude.

A lot of people, myself included, have a problem understanding people with a fear of flying. The typical response you see is just for them to get over it and stop being selfish, but I have come to understand it is something more than that. A recently met a friend who told me that they were afraid of flying and the way she described it to me really put it in perspective. She said that the way she felt when trying to fly a plane is like taking a loaded gun, releasing the safety, putting it to her head and pulling the trigger. What really made it stick for me was that when people try to talk to her to get over he fear, she asked me how I would feel if someone tried to convince me that taking a loaded gun putting it to my head and pulling the trigger wouldn't cause me harm. She did admit that on a certain intellectual level she knows the difference between flying and shooting herself, but that doesn't make the fear any less severe.

You've got his contract. Play him home games and whatever games he can get to on the ground. Be creative. 41 home games plus 7 short travel cities x2 (Bos, NY(2), Tor, Was, Cle, Det) is 56 games. There may even be a couple of longer trips he can take.

I am in the camp of no flying. I suffer with a lot of anxiety and haven't been on a plane since Aug 2000 when I left for bootcamp from San Antonio to Chicago. It's an ugly feeling and terror for me personally. So I know the feeling.

I am in the camp of no flying. I suffer with a lot of anxiety and haven't been on a plane since Aug 2000 when I left for bootcamp from San Antonio to Chicago. It's an ugly feeling and terror for me personally. So I know the feeling.

But do you consciously take jobs that you know will force you to use planes and then complain about not being accommodated? That's what White is doing. I have sympathy for his condition, but I have none for how he's handling it. "Hmmm, I think I can make it in the NBA, they never travel cross-country."

You've got his contract. Play him home games and whatever games he can get to on the ground. Be creative. 41 home games plus 7 short travel cities x2 (Bos, NY(2), Tor, Was, Cle, Det) is 56 games. There may even be a couple of longer trips he can take.

You can't do that, because if you do something like that then there's the very real possibility that you'd suddenly end up having to tailor make schedules for others. And I guarantee that if you do, then the player who loses minutes just so White can play a home game is going to be one unhappy person. You can't tell me that resentment wouldn't quickly bubble up among his teammates over his special treatment.

The reality is that he knew (or should have) that he was going to have to fly if he tried to play in the NBA; unfortunately his history shows that he feels entitled to special treatment and IMHO he just doesn't deserve it.

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Since you can't fix stupid, at least you should be able to prosecute it!

You can't do that, because if you do something like that then there's the very real possibility that you'd suddenly end up having to tailor make schedules for others. And I guarantee that if you do, then the player who loses minutes just so White can play a home game is going to be one unhappy person. You can't tell me that resentment wouldn't quickly bubble up among his teammates over his special treatment.

The reality is that he knew (or should have) that he was going to have to fly if he tried to play in the NBA; unfortunately his history shows that he feels entitled to special treatment and IMHO he just doesn't deserve it.

Playing in the NBA isn't just another job that someone with that opportunity can just walk away from and try something else. There are only 350 people on a planet of 7,000,000,000 who are NBA players so we are not talking about being a bus driver or lawyer. He has a legitimate disability and trying to find a way for him to play isn't just placating an unhappy person; it is trying to find a reasonable accommodation, which is by the way REQUIRED by federal law, and it is just smart team management. You've already committed money and roster space, if you can get 56 games out of him then you need to do it.

If White is good enough to command minutes on the floor then the player he pushes out has absolutely no right to feel "unhappy". In fact he should feel lucky that this guy has a disability which allows him to get playing time during road games which he otherwise doesn't deserve.

By the way, I don't want you to get the impression that I am defending some of the bratty things he did while he was in Houston. A lot of that was indefensible and has nothing to do with his disability.

b1gdon I am with you for the cases where someone has applied for a job where the company product is not affected, just more of a cost to allow the employee to perform.

In this case there is no cost that can be spent to get him to all games and the seperate travel and disruptions harm the product overall. Half a season isn't a result, you can't set up a defensive or offensive system with a vital part only there for certain games.... and then in the playoffs where you really need him he may not be there for a game 7.

They should try to treat, or BA Baracus him, to the point where he buses where possible but then air where required.... otherwise just like my lack of athletic ability holds me back from playing NBA this will stop him.